I think with the era of the OT, any Jedi Knight or Jedi figure that showed up after Vader's defeat felt more special since they weren't just one of many jedis out there. Given the few numbers of force users left before Luke had reestablished the Jedi Order back to its prime, any Jedi that showed up was allowed to really have their own personality and identity that wasn't consumed by the vastness of the Jedi Order.